Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, participants from all four corners of the world, greetings and warm welcome to the 4th World Culture and Sports Festival and the 4th international Han Madang Games.

I would like to take this time to offer my deep appreciation to God and True Parents for allowing me to open these games here in Korea, the cultural and spiritual fatherland of the Unification Church and the Family Federation for World Peace International.

We are especially fortunate to have the presence of our True Parents, the founders of this event, to encourage and inspire us as we stand at the dawn of a new millenium.

Today, we are gathered at the Olympic gymnastics stadium, where in 1988, representatives from around the globe gathered to partake in the Seoul Olympic Games. I was fortunate to have been a participant during those games and was engulfed by the promise and hope of mutual understanding and appreciation that the spirit of the Olympic Games garnered.

Twelve years have passed since those games yet, upon reflection, the world has not substantially embraced the spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation that the Seoul games represented. Although the specter of the Cold War and worldwide nuclear destruction no longer plagues our subconscious, we still face the real threat of regional conflicts around the globe, stemming from religious, racial, ethnic and national differences.

As the ideological umbrella of communism and democracy no longer encapsulates the world into two opposing spheres of influence, bitter individual and regional tensions that lay under the thin veneer of worldwide communism and the free world has surfaced to the fore. Like a Pandora's box, our cherished newly found freedoms unleashed by breaking the lock of ideological conflict has unfortunately opened new problems around the globe.

In one sense we have shed ourselves of one large problem and replaced it with many small ones, as "racial," "national," "ethnic," and "religious," individualism replaced the solidarity of defending the respective ideologies of communism and democracy. One only needs to pick up a newspaper or watch the news to have the very real but horrifying images of destruction and hatred haunting our homes, schools, workplace, communities and nation.

It is not surprising, then, to see the disillusionment and lack of moral rectitude among our young people. If the youth truly are the product of their environment then, so the logic goes, the extreme self-centered individualism exhibited by many of our young people's lack of respect for themselves, their families, communities, and their nations is a direct result of the greater individualism that is plaguing our world. As a result, many have been de-sensitized towards the value of moral responsibility and respect for others, lacking empathy for their parents, siblings, children, friends, teachers etc.-the relational matrix which eventually makes up a family, community, and nation, and thus further perpetuating the problems in our world.

Shortly after the Seoul Olympic Games, at a time when the world was celebrating the end of the Cold War with the collapse of the Iron Curtain, my parents were troubled that rampant individualism and materialism would fill the vacuum left by communism. For this reason, they looked for the possibility of building a new world order. It was with this premonition and vision that my parents had the foresight to create and initiate the World Culture and Sports Festival, with the Han Madang games as youthful expression of God's hope and vision for the world.

The Han Madang games has a special purpose in this Festival for it highlights the unique contributions of the youth, with their vigor, creativity and idealism, in initiating an ideal brotherhood through healthy competition and cooperation. Although these principles are somewhat similar to the goals and aims of other world sports events, like the Olympic Games, what distinguishes this event is that these games recognize the primary importance of divine grace and parental heart as a source of true brotherhood. In short, the underlying premise of these games are that without the presence of God and the substantial True Parents of mankind, true peace and harmony can never be achieved.

To understand this vision in its concrete form, one must look at the world from the context of a single human family. In a family, who is it that creates unity and stability when there are tension and conflict among siblings? It is undeniably the parents of the household. Then, one can ask the following question, "Who is it that blesses a father and mother with an absolute, unchanging love that is the source of stability for the rest of the family?" It must undeniably be God.

If the world is seen as a one large human family, the different racial, ethnic, national, religious groups are a composite of the colorful mosaic that reflects God's family. Alone, these varying groups represent an individual quality of God's character, creativity and essence. Like siblings with a distinct character and personality, their differences have been the source of conflict. Under these circumstances, the need for a parental role model that embodies God's parental love becomes apparent in order to offer the solution to their conflicts. This is the role of the True Parents, the representative ideal parents of humankind.

Therefore, to build a proper model for establishing a world of peace and harmony we must recognize that this hope can never be achieved without the divine grace of God as well as the substantial position of True Parents!

In Korean, "Han Madang" has a special meaning that captures the essence of this vision. "Han" means large and wide while "Madang" represents the symbol of community spirit and cooperation.

At a time when international sporting events have increasingly become commercial and political vehicles to further the economic cause or prestige of a particular nation, it has become ever more important to re-orient global athletic competition to its original purpose, to foster true brotherhood and cooperation. As was evident with the recent scandals surrounding the Olympic Organizing Committee's acceptance of bribes in determining future site locations, to the increasingly un-sportsmanlike fight for medals between nations, the ideals and principles of the those games have been greatly clouded.

Participants of the Han Madang games! We are fortunate to be gathered here to celebrate the aspirations, energy and dreams of the world's youths through our athletic endeavors. We are also fortunate to be carrying the torch of inspirational ideals that goes beyond our own individual or team accomplishments. Let us embody a true brotherhood that brings about harmony and cooperation through our love and dedication for public service. Most of all, let us recognize the need for divine grace and parental love as the source of our substantial brotherhood.

Ladies and gentlemen, we stand at the dawn of a new millenium. The world is our canvas. Let us seize the moment and our futures by sowing the seeds of cooperation and mutual understanding that embodies the ideal of God. If we are able to accomplish this in ourselves, families and nations, certainly, we can build an ideal world of peace and harmony. We are the colors of this canvas and what we do are the brush strokes that would eventually create an image of our vision. If we put to practice the ideals of these games in our own lives, we will undeniably establish a kingdom of heaven on earth. If you sincerely believe this vision, please rise with me to shout Mansei, Mansei, Mansei, for from this moment forth the world would clamor to the promise of being once again within the bosom of God.

Thank you very much, God bless you.

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